History of Costa Rica
The recorded history of Costa Rica seems to begin with its discovery by Christopher Columbus. He actually named this country because of the rich gold ornaments the natives wore. The name Costa Rica means rich coast. Prior to this time anthropologists cannot find any records of a written language and there are no archaeological monuments. The Spanish settled the area, but this took almost sixty years because of the jungle. Once settlement took hold, however, the country became a colony of Spain. There were not enough natives to resist the Spanish way of life and many of them died from the European diseases. The history of Costa Rica does not include any discoveries of gold and the country was largely unforgotten for centuries. It was not until coffee plantations in 1808 were established that Costa Rica became important as a place of business and became known to other parts of the world. A U.S. military adventurer named William Walker invaded the country in 1856, but his troops made up of captured slaves from Nicargua were forced to flee by the more than 9000 people. The history of Costa Rica during the 19th century includes many power struggles between the owners of the coffee plantations. It was during this time that the first democratic elections were held in Costa Rica. There was a civl war in the 1940s when the former president, Calderon, lost the election and lined up his supporters against the winner, Ulate. Peace resumed after several weeks of fighting with Ulate as the new president. The constitution in 1949 allowed women to vote and dismantled the armed forces. Costa Rica is the only country in Central America without any armed forces. The history of Costa Rica is essentially a peaceful one. This country is not plagued by the unrest that is seen in the neighboring countries, which is why it has become a popular tourist destination. | ||
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